Kirkland leaders approve ordinance protecting low-income renters

Share this story

KIRKLAND, Wash. – Kirkland landlords will no longer be able to deny tenants based on their use of a Section 8 Housing Voucher after the City Council recently approved a new ordinance prohibiting such practices.

The Council’s decision was made following a public hearing on the issue last week. Under the new citywide ordinance, landlords will be required to apply the same standards for renting to all potential tenants.

The Section 8 Housing Voucher program provides low to very-low income families financial assistance and the ability to apply for privately owned rental housing. Under the program, a family pays 30 percent of the household’s income toward rent and the King County Housing Authority pays the landlord the difference.

"This is seen as another thing the city can do to assure access to housing for everyone who would like to live in Kirkland," the Kirkland planning department's Dawn Nelson said before the Council made its decision.

Most Popular

When I saw this dramatic cloud to the north, it reminded me of smoke, rising in billows until it hits the jet stream, then it's pulled hundreds of miles east. I had to capture it quickly. Within minutes the effect had faded.

For my girlfriends birthday we had a party at her parents. We knew the nest was there but the owner hadn't seen or heard the osprey for a day or two. He asked me to fly my drone up and see if any was wrong. I flew up and found that there were two eggs inside.